


Living, Not Surviving

by 2001DoubleD33



Series: Life Outside the Campfire [2]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, David - Freeform, David Adopts Max (Camp Camp), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gwen - Freeform, Happy David, Neil - Freeform, Nikki - Freeform, Original Characters - Freeform, Parents, Past Issues, Saving the camp, School, Swearing, dadvid, eventually, max - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2020-10-11 10:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20544977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2001DoubleD33/pseuds/2001DoubleD33
Summary: Max has moved in with David. After Everything they went through, the rough patch doesn't seem to stop. More drama, more issues, and more trouble amongst the Newbury household.





	1. The Catch Up

Max was cold. His hands hurt, his shoulders trembled. He was freezing from the inside out, and he couldn’t even explain what was happening. All he knew was Toby got what he deserved. He left him alone for so long, he just abandoned him. Now that he finally had something, it seemed like he popped up in Max’s mind just to spit in the face of it. The memories… he didn’t know if they would go away, but at least he found the source. He knew what it was. He knew who to ask to figure out what happened, to remember that awful time. 

For now, he was nursing bruised knuckles in the passenger seat of David’s car. 

David was silent. He didn’t know what to say, where to start. He’d gotten a call from a frantic Celine, on Max’s phone, asking him to hurry over. David had been desperately apologizing to his boss, but he had to leave. Max was more important.

When he got there, there was blood in the snow on the walkway. Up on the porch, Max was shaking and silent, curled up in his coat and a blanket with Celine beside him. He didn’t know what to think. He just hurried up, scooping Max into his arms. Words spoken with Celine’s parents, and the boy… he was a mess. Busted lip, bleeding nose, black eye forming. Max had gotten a few good punches in, that was for sure. They were headed for urgent care, and David promised they could talk some time soon, but the kids were the focus for the moment.

When they got home, David was met with silence, still. Clingy, absolutely upset silence, but silence nonetheless. David just picked Max up from the car, shutting the door and tucking him close against his chest, murmuring softly to him to keep him settled down.

He got them both into the house and carefully set Max down on the couch, kneeling in front of him and rubbing his hands down his arms gently.

“Buddy… Can you look at me? I just need to see if you’re alright,” He asked quietly, lifting a hand to his chin to look over his face. 

Max closed his eyes, but his face did raise to face the man. To David’s relief, he didn’t have any marks on his face. It looked like Max was the only one throwing punches. There would have to be serious repercussions for this, but David had to figure out why it happened first. He stood away, heading to the kitchen. He dampened paper towels with cold water, and returned to him. He gently brushed away the blood, and hopefully soothed some of the ache, until they didn’t look so angry and painful.

His hands moved back to his arms, rubbing his shoulders gently to soothe him,”Can you tell me what happened, kiddo?”

“Don’t  _ call _ me that!”

Max erupted in anger, eyes snapping up to glare at him. David was a bit surprised, but he was careful.

“I’m sorry- I forgot, I’m sorry.” He murmured, raising his hands to placate the teary, angry child in front of him,”Max… just tell me what happened. Can you do that?”

Max scowled at him for a few more moments, before his eyes dropped back to his lap. He shrugged out of David’s hands, unwilling to be touched right then. He curled up on the couch.

“Toby was the kid,” He explained quietly, slightly bitter,”From the flashbacks… my memories. It was him.”

David frowned,”The… Toby? Celine’s brother?”

“Yeah.”

“Why did you hit him?”

Max remembered it clearly. The moment he saw him, saw who he was, he bolted forward and tackled him down. Three solid blows, knelt over him he just started swinging and screaming. Celine’s dad had torn him off, picking up his son from the snow. Celine had been the next one to grab at Max, yanking him back from running after him. She pulled him down to the snow, wrapping him up in a hug as he kept screaming, crying. Then David had come.

“He left me,” Max grit out, angry,”He left me with them… alone… He wasn’t even gonna tell me goodbye,” He was seething, shaking again as he recounted it while tears rolled over his cheeks,”They were fucking  _ pissed _ … took it out on me, like I sent him off. Like  _ I _ was the one who fucking ran! _ I didn’t! _ They locked up the windows, locked me in the room- I couldn’t sneak anymore food, I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t--”

David jumped when Max sucked in a breath and screamed right then. An honest to god, gut-wrenching holler. He didn’t care if Max wanted to be touched, he leaned forward and tugged him close against his chest, tucking the boy’s face into his shoulder and holding him tight. The fabric muffled his shout, and the sobbing that followed, but the sounds still cut through David’s heart like a knife. He just held him as close as he could, rubbing his back and kissing his hair, keeping the boy settled in against his chest.

“Just let it out,” He encouraged quietly,”I’m sure it hurts… It must have been awful.”

Max’s hands gripped to his apron then, clinging and shaking as he cried his heart out for the second time that night. David continued coaxing tears, gently soothing and wishing he could do something to fix it all. It hurt knowing all of that happened, and knowing he couldn’t do anything to change it. He scooped Max up from the couch slowly, settling the small kid into his lap so he could hold him a little tighter. The boy didn’t seem to mind, so David just went right on trying to settle him down.

It took a minute or two, but Max finally settled down. He was trembling by that point, face firmly hidden away against his shoulder. He wanted to pull away and go to his room, but he’d have to face David. He didn’t want that. Lucky for him, the man seemed preoccupied right then. He stood with Max in his arms, carrying him over to the kitchen, keeping him close.

“Do you think you can eat? I know you don’t feel up to it, but how about some apples and peanut butter? Just something small?” He suggested quietly; Max hadn’t eaten over there, he knew that much after talking to Celine’s parents, and that was worrying him.

Max turned his face away to peer at the fridge David had opened. He just exhaled some shaky sound and leaned against his shoulder again.

“Whatever.”

David nodded. He set Max down on his feet, tugging his coat off gently to leave him in just his sweatshirt and jeans. He set the coat away over one of the kitchen chairs and set to cutting up and apple. Max just climbed into one of the chairs, crossing his arms on the table and leaning his head forward as exhaustion crept over his bones. Before long, David returned to his side, with a little bowl of sliced apples and a scoop of peanut butter for him. He left again to get him some water with a few cubes of ice, setting that down too. Max glanced up slightly at the two items, while David knelt by his chair, smoothing a gentle hand over his back.

“Can you eat just a bit? Drink some water… it will help you feel a little less sick,” He said quietly, hoping to get Max convinced enough to refresh.

Max huffed another sigh, turning away from him a bit. He was somewhat shamefaced after breaking down so harshly. He’d defend himself tooth and nail if David made fun of him for it, but it was embarrassing having the man just… not care. Be so soft. He wanted to be angry, and David wasn’t helping him fill that need right then. But he was starving, even if he wanted to puke. He rolled his eyes as he felt David’s hand again, arching his back to move away from the touch. His eyes turned back to him, glaring.

“Are you gonna sit there and fucking watch me eat?” He snapped sharply, though his voice was hoarse.

David frowned, and sighed softly,”No. I’m gonna change, call if you need me.” He assured, soft spoken as he stood up.

He tugged the apron over his head as he stepped away, heading for the stairs to go dress in something other than work wear. Max shifted when he left, fidgeting in his seat. He picked up one of the apples and dunked it into peanut butter before popping it into his mouth, scowling at the plate as he chewed. 

David padded along up the stairs with a soft sigh. He tugged his aparon off completely, hanging it up on the hook by his door, and beginning to unbutton his dress shirt. His shirt was stained from where he had picked Max up, and he was clung to. He frowned at it, rubbing his thumb over the dark red color and wondering how in the world it had gotten to something like this.

Max would need consequences for this, he had to have some. Violence was never the right answer, and letting this go would only show him that having bad emotions would warrant being so aggressive and angry. But he hated to be the one to lay out those consequences. He wanted to soothe, and help his son settle down, but there was nothing he could do. Here less than a month, and this… trainwreck happens. He just had to hope that Celine’s parents wouldn’t press charges, either. He was strapped for cash, barely managing to stash anything away into savings, and there was no way he could afford any ill feelings.

He Just changed into a sweater and a pair of pyjama pants and sat on the bed. Head in his hands, he sighed. He didn’t know what was going on anymore. Everytime he got closer to Max, got some confession or explanation from him, it seemed he took another wrong turn down the maze of his mind. He didn’t know what to do anymore. But he couldn’t stay upstairs sitting in his misery. He knew that much. 

He headed downstairs after a little while, padding quietly along the steps. He needed to lay down the law, so to speak. But, when he got to the kitchen, Max was slumped over on the table, breathing steadily. The apples and peanut butter were gone, the glass of water half full. David smiled fondly at the scene, and sighed. Tomorrow, then.

He was quiet, moving forward and carefully scooping Max up into his arms, tucking his head against his shoulder and kissing his curly hair as he made his way upstairs. He laid the boy down in bed, covering him up gently, and Max finally stirred a bit, frowning in his bleary state and groaning. David smoothed a hand over his hair, and straightened up. As he left the room, turning back to tug the door closed, Max shot up from bed.

“Wait.”

David blinked, and paused. He frowned towards the boy, opening the door again. In the light from the hallway, his eyes were wide, almost frightened. David was confused, stepping back into the room.

“Something wrong?” He wondered carefully.

Max glanced to the door, then back to David, but said nothing. He was tense. He didn’t want him to shut the door and cover the room in darkness all over again. He’d been struggling with waking up in the pitch black room since day one, and he hated it. But he wasn’t going to tell him that. He was ten. He shouldn’t need any damn light when he went to bed.

David watched him for a few moments, before he had a feeling he knew what was wrong. He hummed, brushing a hand through his curls.

“I think I have something, be back in a shake,” He smiled softly, stepping back out of the room and leaving the door open so the room was washed in light.

Max shifted in bed, fingers curled up in the sheets as he watched the hallway, then glanced around the room, settling himself down. He had no idea what David was getting, but he would wait nonetheless.

David returned after a minute or so, with something in his hand. He went to the wall where Max usually charged his phone, moving the charger cord and plugging in something. After a second, a light shone from the wall. It was red, then orange, then green, and other shades of the rainbow, changing slowly and lighting up the room. David went over to his bedroom door, closing it while staying in the room.

“Is that okay?” He checked, wanting to make sure Max was okay with the level of light.

Max nodded, then thought about the darkness of the room,”Yeah. Thanks.” 

David smiled, tugging the door open again. He stepped back over to Max’s side, brushing a hand over his hair again and tugging at the blankets.

“Go ahead and get some sleep, Max. I’ll see you in the morning,” He hummed, stepping away with another soft smile.

Max just nodded again, watching him tug the door shut. The only light left in the room was from the little nightlight, which illuminated everything in the room softly enough that Max could tell there were no creeping hands around. He watched the lights change for a while, flexing his hands gently as the ache settled, and eventually drifted off.

As reluctant as he was, David had to go wake up Max for school the next day. He got him up gently, and went downstairs to make breakfast. He’d learned quickly that Max didn’t eat very much in the mornings, especially if it was sweet. Usually, he made some toast with jam, or scrambled eggs for the boy, and occasionally a couple small pancakes or french toast. Today, he made toast with a little bowl of washed blueberries, cut up bananas, and pieces of kiwi. 

Max trudged down the stairs to eat. There was mostly silence. David decided he could eat when he got home, before work.

“Max, you know we have to talk about last night.”

“No,  _ you _ have to talk about it. I have to listen.”

David frowned, but crossed his arms as he sighed,”You can’t… just…  _ hit _ people. I know there was some tough things going on… but that’s not okay, Max.”

Max was glaring at his breakfast as though it was David himself, unhappy with being scolded so early in the morning. But, David had more. He always had more.

“I still have to talk to Celine’s parents… sometime today, I think. But you’re grounded for a week. This was not okay, at all, Max. You broke his nose.”

Max’s nose wrinkled as he sneered,” _ Good _ .” 

David frowned, uncrossing his arms and settling his hands on his hips,”No! Not good, Max. I don’t want to hear you talking like that. Now give me your phone.”

Max glanced up at him then. His phone, too? For a  _ week _ ?He shook his head.

“No! You’re not taking my fucking phone! No way!”

Expression turned stern, David pressed,”I said you were grounded for a week, Max, that includes your phone. And you stop using that sort of language right this instant, or I’ll wash out your mouth.”

Max gawked at him. There was no way in hell. He shook his head, sliding out of his chair and scowling like he wished death on David,”No. Fuck you, fuck that. I said no,” He snapped.

“Last warning-”

“ _ Fuck _ you.”

As soon as David took a step forward, Max turned and bolted. David, unfortunately, was faster, and grabbed his sleeve.

“No!” He scolded sharply, tugging him back to the kitchen,”I have had it with you! I’ve told you to stop with the swearing, I have been  _ lenient _ and welcoming, but you crossed a line last night, and I’m done being gentle! Come here,” He shifted his grip to Max’s wrist, tugging him along, still careful not to hurt him, but firm nonetheless.

Max was a bit surprised to be caught, and shouted at, even if it was nowhere near the level of screaming he’d heard before David. He dragged his feet when he was tugged along, trying to pull his hand free.

“No! Fucking stop!” He demanded angrily, yanking on his grip.

David didn’t let go, but he turned, tugging Max closer and scooping him up without another word. He sat him firmly on the counter, standing in front of him to make sure he couldn’t slide down. He braced his hands on his shoulders, giving him a light shake to get him to pay attention.

“You stop it. Right now,” He scolded,”You can hate me, and be angry, and fuss all you want, but I am your guardian, and I can do this  _ all day _ . And I  _ will _ do this all day. Anymore swearing, anymore shouting, or insults, and I’ll add more time to your punishment. Do you understand me, young man?” 

Max flinched slightly when he was shook, scowling at the man to hide his surprise. David had been passive up until now, willing to let most things slide if he put up enough of a fight or tired him out. Now… he was stuck to it. He shifted on the counter, still glaring but slightly less angry. He gave a tiny nod.

“Good. Thank you.” 

David sighed, letting him go to side step slightly, picking up a little bar of soap on the edge of the sink. Max saw it and his eyes went wide, face blushing pink.

“David I said I understood,” He muttered, shifting a bit away.

David turned another stern gaze to him,”You did. But you still swore at me, and I said I was washing your mouth out, so that’s what I’m doing. Now sit still and hush.” He lathered soap under water, getting it sudsy.

“I don’t-”

“That’s an extra minute.” David turned off the water and turned to eye him warningly, one hand on his hip as he held the soap in the other,”Do you want to try for another?”

Max was astounded. He was really stuck. He could run, but David would catch him. He could just snap his mouth closed, but that would risk more minutes, and David would probably wait him out longer than Max could hold off.

“Good. Open your mouth. If you want to postpone this until after school It’ll be worse for you,” He warned carefully.

Max swallowed and stared at him. He huffed, shifting on the counter again before opening his mouth hesitantly. David nodded, taking one hand to hold his chin still and open his mouth a bit more, before pressing the soap into his mouth. Max wanted to gag immediately, eyes screwed shut as his shoulders tensed. The taste was awful and bitter, and he hated it.

“We do not use those words, Max. Especially not towards one another. It’s mean, and not nice. So next time, you know exactly what’s coming to you when you decide to swear at me like that.” David scolded, stepping back to take out his phone and set a timer for two minutes.

Max groaned, swinging his feet from over the counter as he shifted and fidgeted. It had only been a few seconds but he already wanted to be done with it. All he knew was that he earned an extra minute, but he didn’t know what it was extra to. He squeezed the edge of the counter hard, feeling his eyes start to burn at the taste, trying to breathe through his nose. This fucking sucked, he knew that much. He didn’t like David acting like… whatever he was acting like. It sucked. 

“One minute left.” David assured him, when the time marked came up. He set his phone down on the counter and stepped away to clean up the breakfast plates, settling everything into the sink. He was rinsing things off when the timer went.

He straightened up, using one hand to turn off the beeping, and the other taking hold of the soap in his mouth,”Open up- Ah-.” He instructed, and Max was happy to open his mouth, jerking his head back from the soap. 

He leaned over the sink, spitting out the suds with a groan, reaching for the faucet to turn on the water and rinse. David let him for a few moments, rubbing a hand over his back as he set the soap down. After about twenty or so seconds, he shut off the water again.

“Alright, enough.” He said, more gentle this time.

Max was reluctant, but sat up and wiped his mouth,”That was fucking  _ gross _ !”David raised an eyebrow, and for once, Max shrank back a bit,”Freaking- sorry…”

“Thank you.” David softened a bit, still rubbing his shoulder softly,”I know it wasn’t fun, but you have to learn sometime. You did really well with it, thank you for settling down.” He smiled lightly, leaning forward to tug the boy into a hug.

Max leaned into it, despite himself, holding onto the sides of his shirt. The soap was gross, and he wasn’t going to try for another round of it. David seemed to feel a little bad, at least bad enough to give him a hug for going through something so disgusting. He was also petting his hair, which Max could never seem to move away from.

“Okay, buddy. Time for school. Go get ready,” He hummed, scooping the boy up and setting him on the ground gently,”You can brush your teeth again, too,” He smiled, sending him away with a hair ruffle.

Max rolled his eyes, but he didn’t argue with that. He brushed his teeth again, got ready, and off to class he went. Nothing more was said about the morning, and he handed over his phone, reluctantly.

David was feeling a bit better after having laid down the law like that. He knew he’d have to be firm again with Max sometime, but at least now he knew he could handle it. He got ready for work, ate some toast and took at apple with him, and headed in. He had some grovelling to do, and he just had to hope he wasn’t fired.

He went in early, headed straight for Mallory’s office with an apology on the tip of his tongue. After waiting for a welcome in response to his knocking, he headed right in. Instead of apologizing like he meant to, Mallory interrupted.

“Oh! How is Max? Everything alright?” She wondered, standing up from the desk and rounding it towards him,”You were frantic last night.”

David blanked for a moment before nodding,”Yes… Yes! Everything is okay. There was a fight, something with his past homes… It was sudden, I’m so  _ so _ sorry i had to run out like that,”

Mallory smiled,”No, David, it’s okay. I covered the shift for you. There’s nothing to worry about.” She assured.

David could have very well cried from relief right then. He nodded, smiling gratefully, even if a bit weary,”Oh, thank you- thank you so much, I swear I’ll keep it from happening again.” 

A nod from Mallory, and another smile,”Thank you. I was a bit upset about you rushing out last night, though. I had something I wanted to ask.”

David tilted his head, with another soft smile,”Oh- I’m sorry, what did you want to ask?”

She took a small step closer, but her hands were behind her back, smile soft and eyes open, watching his expression,”I was wondering if you’d want to go out to dinner sometime.” 

For a moment, David could only blink. Slightly confused, his face went a bit warm.

“Ah… Like as friends?”

“More than that,”

“A  _ date? _ ”

“Exactly.”

David was red in the face. This was… not the conversation he expected to be having that morning. He shifted, lips parted as he tried to find words to say. She was pretty, there was no question about that. She was sweet, and considerate. David hadn’t had a night for himself in who knows how long. Honestly… it didn’t sound very bad at all.

“I have reservations on Friday at seven. Do I need to cancel?”

“...No. Don’t cancel them. I’d… I’d love to go.”

“Good answer.”


	2. A Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David offers Max a chance to get out of his grounding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw the notes and messages about mouth soaping and I would like to address that-
> 
> One, I planned to nudge this little instance further down the line, but the concern from you guys encouraged me to move it up much farther.
> 
> Two, mouth soaping, WHILE DANGEROUS in some instances, is one hundred percent in character for David. He grew up with that lifestyle, where smoking was cool and nobody cared to read labels. He didnt realize what he was doing was wrong, he was moving off of parental instinct to control and tame his young child having an absolute fit. 
> 
> Three, David is a dummy. We all love him, hes doing his best. He figures things out by making mistakes just like the rest of us. He'll get there 💜
> 
> That being said! Enjoy the chapter!! More to post soon!!!

While Max was settled at school, David was bussing tables, making drinks, running around and finding things to do to occupy his mind. He had plenty of things wrapped in his brain that needed to be nudged away for the time being.

On the one hand, he still had a very triumphant feeling in his chest. He'd handled Max. He'd handled his tantrum, and the swearing, and laid out a very firm punishment and stuck to it. That was really good! It was definitely a step forward, and a big one, if Max's return of the hug was anything to go by. It felt nice. Sort of.

On the other hand, he had… A date. With his boss. A very,  _ very _ pretty boss, might he add. With a bright smile and nice eyes and oh dear… he bit his lip, trying to guide the thoughts away and soothe the bright red blush all over his face and the tips of his ears. How long had it been since he had a  _ date?  _ A real, proper one. Too long. 

On some… Third, awkward hand… Gwen. He hadn't heard from her. All that… Anger and yelling. It had been so quiet. Max was distant and… he didn't even know how to explain it. He didn't really… have anyone to turn to anymore. And that hurt. It… Really,  _ really _ hurt.

It was the hand brushing over his lower back that startled back into focus, his heart aching. He jumped with a soft gasp, and Mallory was beside him.

"David, you were off ten minutes ago," she said with a soft laugh,"Is everything okay?"

David blushed red,"N.. Yes, yes! I'm so sorry, I was… out of it," he laughed, rubbing a hand down his face.

Mallory smiled,"It's okay. You've been running around all day," she shifted, lifting a hand to brush her thumb over his rosy cheeks,"You look like you need some water," she said, concern etching her brow together.

David's face heated further,"No! No, I'm alright! I have to leave to get Max, actually! Sorry!" He chirped, still smiling.

No matter what was going on, he was excited for Friday. Mallory  _ liked _ him! She was so sweet! He had a bit more bounce in his step as he went for the backroom to clock out. Quick grab of his things, then he was rushing to the school to pick up Max.

After the big crowd cleared, Max was in the car, reluctantly buckling, looking tired. David was all smiles,"How was school?"

"Exhausting," Max answered quietly.

David frownedkeOh.. I'm sorry to hear." He murmured. He bit his lip as he thought of things,"Would cheeseburgers for dinner maybe cheer you up a little?"

Max's face twisted,"No. Why would food cheer me up?" He mumbled.

"Burgers… From McDonalds?" 

Max's eyes widened and he glanced to David in surprise. David was adamantly against giving kids so much junk in one meal, usually. 

"...Sure," he answered. He lost his phone, had his mouth washed out, and had a long day. He was  _ not _ turning down McDonalds.

David perked up,"Okie dokie! That sounds like a plan, then!" He said brightly. He'd make up for the eating out with some fruit and vitamins, soon. He needed to get Max some, when he had the money saved.

For now, he headed over to the nearest little place, and parked. Once they were inside, David placed the order and patiently waited for their order to be fulfilled. Outside, it was raining, and Max was fogging the windows with his breath to draw faces on them. David watched, a small smile on his face. After about twenty minutes of waiting, David began getting a little flustered, and Max was downright sulking.

"What the fuck is taking so long?" He snapped, irritable.

David frowned,"Max. We just had this talk this morning, if you keep using that language, I'll wash out your mouth again," he chided sternly, sticking to his guns.

There was a soft sound from the boothe behind them as Maxs face turned cherry red, and the boy turned to scowl at the table. David glanced back, and a mother was flushed, realizing she'd made the noise out loud.

"Im sorry, I… I don't mean to step in," she said softly,"But you really, really shouldn't use soap to wash out a child's mouth…"

David frowned softly, a bit confused,"Oh.. I-Is there some reason why?" He asked, willing to learn if he could.

"David, will you just shut up and stop talking about this already?!" Max hissed, yanking his hood over his eyes.

David frowned,"Max, that's not nice." He chided, before turning to here again.

The woman smiled softly,"Well, the chemicals can really hurt their throat, and upset their stomachs. I learned, I did that once to one of my boys, he was coughing and nauseous for a while." She said with a grimace,"I'd suggest getting a little spray bottle, and filling it with apple cider vinegar."

David's eyes were wide with shock. He'd been brought up with soap stuck out of his mouth and spitting suds. He had no idea it could make someone sick, let alone his little camper. He was stunned.

"Oh… oh my goodness, thank you. I'll definitely try that instead!" He said softly, a little pale. What if he'd made Max sick? 

The woman smiled,"No problem. AC vinegar actually has health benefits too, so in reality, the more they curse, the more excuse you have to give them a yucky vitamin of sorts," she smiled.

David gave a weak smile in return, just as his number was called. He stood, flustered, offering his hand to Max,"Come on, kiddo, let's go," he said weakly.

Max was still scowling under his hood and adamantly refused to hold his hand. David got to the counter and gathered their things, hurrying Max out to the car. Once they were there, poor David hiccuped, distressed. Max turned to stare at the man, confused.

"...Are you…  _ crying? _ "

David wiped at his face and sniffled,"I'm so… so sorry, I didn't realize what I was doing!" He said weakly,"I… I could have made you sick or… or even put you in the hospital!" David lamented, disgusted with himself. He turned hurriedly to Max,"Does your throat hurt, buddy? Do you feel sick at all? Oh I'm so, so sorry,"

Max was astonished by the sudden breakdown of guilt from the man. He awkwardly shifted away.

"No… David, Im  _ fine _ , give me my fries," he muttered, blushing slightly at the worry but otherwise tugging the bag from him to eat his crispy chips. He was more focused on nuggets anyways.

David sniffled,"Are you sure? If something feels yucky you can tell me, Ill-"

Max groaned,"David! Its fine! Drive!" He snapped.

Looking quite like a kicked puppy, David reversed and focused on driving, as he sniffled and tried to calm himself down. He felt horrible. He promised never to hit Max, but this was even  _ worse! _ He poisoned him! 

Max realized the man was still upset and rolled his eyes. Of all the shit he had been through,  _ mouth soaping _ was probably the least harmful, even if the most childish. He considered for a few moments, before he picked up a fry and offered it over to him to snack on while he ate. A gesture of no hard feelings.

David glanced at the fry and hesitated, before offering the smallest little smile and accepting the snack from him,"Thank you," he said softly.

Max huffed and ate his own fries, mind still reeling over the thought of David being moved to  _ tears _ because of just the possibility that he had hurt Max. 

By the time they got home, David was calmer, but he did want to talk. Max had already eaten most of both their fries, and just headed towards the house. The day before was still heavy on his mind, and he wanted to focus on settling in for food and watching some stupid crime show. He didn't want to think about Toby. Not anymore.

David unlocked the door to let Max in, and shrugged his jacket off gently, watching the boy take his shoes off and head over to the armchair as usual. He drew a deep breath and moved forward.

"Max, I know I… you don't really like when I get so emotional-"

"Because you're a crybaby, David."

David frowned; more of a pout, really, but oh well,"Well… even so… I just.. I want you to know that I really, honestly didn't know about the issues it could cause.. I never ever want to hurt you as a punishment for something so… silly as cursing," he said gently, reaching out to pet his hair.

Max allowed it, quietly unwrapping his burger. He should have commented on how stupid it was to discipline him if David himself thought the rule was stupid. He should have griped about how sappy he was being. But his fingers were gently petting his curls, and his expression was so sweet and sincere. Max already had some inexplicable guilt from some harmless things, and… he just couldn't bring himself to spit in the face of Davids words.

"I know," he answered, stiff and quiet,"I'm not fu- freaking stupid."

David seemed happier than ever with his words. He leaned down and gathered him in a great big hug, giving him a gentle squeeze.

"Im happy you know it," he said softly.

Max huffed,"Can you just hand me the remote?"

David kissed his hair and straightened, about to offer it to him before he remembered,"Oh. No! No, you're grounded, Max. Remember?" He chided.

Max groaned,"Seriously? What am I supposed to do, then?"

David crossed his arms, puffing up,"Whatever you can find without electronics, that's what you can do," he said firmly,"I got you a treat for dinner, because I know today and yesterday was very hard on you, Max, but I'm serious about this. You cannot hit people that way, or any way, and get away with it without consequences. You're grounded, and I'm not going to change my mind."

If Max's face went a little pink, he'd blame it on being too hot in the sweater. He rolled his eyes and slumped back against the armchair, irritated.

"This is stupid," he muttered.

"Well, even if you think so, it's a punishment. It's not supposed to be fun," he said, matter of factly, as he turned away to make himself a sandwich. He knew darn well Max had eaten the fries he got for himself already.

While David was in the kitchen, his first instinct was to message Gwen. He was home, he was tired but lonely, and he wanted to talk about his day. But… darn. He frowned, and shook his head, moving forward. Sandwich made, he sat down to read the box of soap he'd used on poor Max. He felt even worse the more he read through. So many chemicals.

By the time he was done eating, he was just sitting in quiet contemplation, trying to figure out what to do. He wanted to talk to Gwen… he wanted to go on that date, he wanted Max to stop being so fussy about being grounded. After a few short, sad moments, he had an idea. He brightened and went back to the living room.

"Max…" he said softly,"I have a little offer for you," he said quietly.

Max glanced up, munching on his nuggets and wordlessly looking at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I'll give you a chance to lessen your grounding, if you talk to me about… what you're feeling," David explained, settling on the couch beside him.

Max narrowed his eyes. This… Could be interesting. He could make up bullshit sob story stuff and get himself pitied out of the whole thing. This had potential. Max glanced away to the clock, considering the deal.

"How long do I have to talk?" He asked,"And how much less?"

David paused to consider the questions, smiling a bit. Leave it to Max to be nit picky about meeting the bare minimum required to lessen his punishment.

"... I'll set a stopwatch. For every full two minutes you talk about your thoughts and feelings, I'll take away one day from your punishment." He explained,"Does that sound fair?"

Max glared,"Make it one minute,"

"Two minutes."

" _ One _ minute."

"...One and a  _ half _ ."

"One."

David gave Max a firm look,"One minute and twenty seconds. Final offer."

Max glared, but finally huffed,"Fine."

David smiled brightly,"Fantastic! Okay. Let's get rid of that trash, and we can go to your room, if you want?" He offered.

Max nodded, and David bounced up, hurrying to throw the McDonald's wrappers. Max was left realizing what he'd done. Hed have to come up with something good to make it through this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I.... Have 0 excuses aside from becoming an adult and doing job thingies and travelling 😂😂  
I am back hopefully! I have a good idea of where to go, so this shouldnt be the last update for a while!  
Enjoy!!


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